Sarasota Walmart appeal expected to run late

City commissioners will decide whether to allow planned Supercenter to go forward

By JESSIE VAN BERKEL

If you are one of many Sarasotans keeping tabs on the appeal of a Walmart planned for Ringling Shopping Center, you might want to put on a pot of coffee Tuesday evening.

The appeal will be the last topic discussed at the City Commission meeting. Architects, attorneys, engineers and neighborhood residents are prepared to speak. There are 299 pages of backup material posted online with the meeting's agenda.

The five city commissioners who will act as judges during the quasi-judicial hearing have long anticipated a late night.

In January, the commission granted a group — primarily made up of members of the Alta Vista Neighborhood Association — a chance to appeal the Planning Board's decision to allow Walmart to build a small Supercenter on the edge of downtown. The group argues Walmart's plan does not conform with the city's zoning code or fit with the neighborhood.

City staff told Walmart its proposal was allowed under the zoning regulations, Walmart Attorney Jim Porter wrote in a memo to the commission last month. He also stated Walmart met with community members and made adjustments to its site plan before bringing it to the Planning Board in November.

But in a recent request asking commissioners to deny Walmart's application, appellants stated city staff erred and the site plan should never have come before the Planning Board.

The evening session is scheduled to begin at 6:30 at City Hall, 1565 1st St.